commonwealth evicted:

farm to table restaurant and whiskey bar opened in october

It garnered rave reviews but apparently that wasn’t enough. Commonwealth, which billed itself as a “modern-day saloon”, has been evicted from its Washington Avenue space according to a sign posted on the restaurant.

The “craft kitchen and whiskey bar” opened in October at 1216 Washington Avenue, the site of the old Automatic Slims. In addition to its menu featuring “a contemporary twist on American fare through global food influences” and farm to table ingredients, Commonwealth served up “more than 100 different types whiskeys, scotches and bourbons from around the world” according to its website.

All seemed normal on the Commonwealth Facebook page on June 17th which featured a dish of “Street corn, spicy mayo, Cilantro, Cotija & lime zest.”

The next day, three separate Open Table diners with Father’s Day brunch reservations reported the restaurant was closed when they got there.

A June 22nd review on Open Table by an anonymous diner from Chicago said, “Restaurant currently has no kitchen. Should never have taken a reservation. We paid for street parking to find a restaurant we could not eat at. Very disappointing.”

Finally, on June 24, Elizabeth from Miami wrote on Open Table, “Horrible! We had reservations, when we got to the restaurant it was closed!”

The eviction notice is dated August 4th.

Open Table now reports, “This restaurant is closed temporarily. Check back soon.” On Yelp, the message reads, “Commonwealth Miami is temporarily closed. Scheduled to reopen on September 1, 2017.”

At the restaurant, it looks like the door was simply locked at the end of a night. Tables, chairs and the bar all appear as if the restaurant will open on the next business day. A pile of mail sits on one chair near the front door. Callers receive a recorded phone company message that says the number “has been changed. The new number is unknown.”

In January, Florida Food and Farm called Commonwealth “a hip hangout for the locals.” Chef Daniel Roy told the publication, “…we try to create a local environment that’s affordable, and you feel like you’re getting value. Because we’re so small, because I can walk from the kitchen to the furthest table in a matter of a minute, that hands-on service is what you get. The quality of drinks and food is something that’s not very prominent on this part of the beach and it sets us apart.” Food and Farm reported “Miami nightlife veterans Angel Sanchez and Paul Brown” were behind the bar and restaurant.

RE:MiamiBeach attempted to reach out to the owners for comment but was unsuccessful.